Pan Asia Twitter

RK Lithium Project – Exceptional Flotation Test-work Results

Up to 87% Li Recoveries and 3.60% Li2O Con Grades on Ore-Sort Material

Battery and critical metals explorer and developer Pan Asia Metals Limited (ASX: PAM) (‘PAM’ or ‘the Company’) is pleased to report very successful metallurgical test-work results for flotation of lithium mica concentrates from ‘ore-sort’ product derived from the RK lithium prospect.


HIGHLIGHTS

  • Flotation test-work on ‘ore-sort’ products materially improves Li recoveries
  • Ore-sort feed grade of 0.92% Li2O shows recoveries of 77% - 87% producing Li2O concentrates of 2.80% - 3.60% in PAM’s ‘Optimum Mining Scenario’
  • Feed grades remain above 0.78% Li2O for PAM’s ‘Modelled Mining Scenario’ which incorporates 20% waste material as dilution
  • Modelled Mining Scenario produces a 3.0% Li2O concentrate with 78% Li recoveries
  • Test-work confirms that the RK Lithium Project has the potential to achieve high Li recoveries and high Li2O concentrate grades
  • With the high Li2O feed grades and Li recoveries achieved, PAM has the potential to be as competitive as the best lepidolite based LCE processors in China

Pan Asia Metals Managing Director, Paul Lock, said: “This is an incredibly pleasing result, our previously reported ore sorting results in November, 2022, demonstrated an increase in the modelled ore feed grade from 0.50% Li2O to 0.92% Li2O – positioning PAM with one of the highest grade lepidolite feed grades in the global peer group. The modelled volume of concentrate feed is reduced by over 60%, with the reject material below the current Mineral Resource cut-off grade of 0.25% Li2O. This means PAM will be processing a materially higher grade ore than that reflected in the RK Mineral Resource, which equates to a considerable reduction in capital and operating costs on a per tonne LCE basis. This means PAM will require less beneficiation capacity (lower capex) and PAM will be processing less product (lower opex). The result being reported today further improves PAM’s position, with the Optimum Mining Scenario producing a 3.0% Li2O con with 87% Li recoveries or a 3.6% Li2O con with 77% Li recoveries, which should be achievable in certain fresh ore mining situations. PAM’s Modelled Mining Scenario introduces 20% dilution and still achieves a 3.0% Li2O con with 78% Li recoveries, which is a great outcome. As PAM is operating in a very low cost environment PAM expects to be as competitive as the best lepidolite based LCE processors in China, aka, those situated at the bottom of the Wood Mackenzie sourced cost curve in PAM’s presentation.”

Project Overview

The RK Lithium Project (RKLP) is one of PAM’s key assets. RKLP is a hard rock lithium project with lithium hosted in lepidolite/mica rich pegmatites chiefly composed of quartz, albite, lepidolite and muscovite, with minor cassiterite and tantalite as well as other accessory minerals.

Previous open pit mining extracting tin from the weathered pegmatites was conducted into the early 1970’s.

PAM’s objective has been to continue drilling with the aim of increasing and upgrading the existing Mineral Resource, which will then be used as part of a Pre-Feasibility Study that will consider various options to determine the technical and economic viability of the project including the LCE production profile as well as associated by-products.

Peer group studies indicate that lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide projects using lepidolite as their plant feedstock have the potential to be placed near the bottom of the cost curve. Lepidolite has also been demonstrated to have a lower carbon emission intensity than other lithium sources.

Metallurgical Test-work Details

The test-work was conducted by Nagrom on three separate composite samples comprised of fresh mineralisation derived from ore sorting testwork conducted on HQ core (63mm diameter) from drillhole RKDD006 (see Table 1). This testwork was reported in PAM’s ASX announcement “Exceptional Ore Sorting Results Confirmed” dated November 22, 2022.


Click here for the full ASX Release

This article includes content from Pan Asia Metals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.

PAM:AU
The Conversation (0)
Jindalee Lithium

Jindalee Lithium Limited (ASX: JLL) – Trading Halt

Description

The securities of Jindalee Lithium Limited (‘JLL’) will be placed in trading halt at the request of JLL, pending it releasing an announcement. Unless ASX decides otherwise, the securities will remain in trading halt until the earlier of the commencement of normal trading on Friday, 15 November 2024 or when the announcement is released to the market.

Keep reading...Show less
  Metals Australia Ltd

Warrego East Drilling Permitted as Takeover Action Underlines Prospectivity of Tennant Creek Mineral Field

- Metals Australia exploring the Warrego East Copper-Gold project as London-listed Pan African Resources acquires holder of adjacent tenement in an $82M deal

Metals Australia Ltd (ASX: MLS) (“the Company”) is pleased to announce that its Mine Management Plan for the upcoming field exploration program at the Warrego East copper-gold project in the Tennant Creek Mineral Field has been authorised by the Northern Territory Government (Refer to Figure 1 and 2). Weather permitting, the field exploration program will be scheduled as soon as a land holder access agreement is finalised.

Keep reading...Show less
A green battery surrounded by rings.

Livium Secures Funding for Battery Recycling Facility

Livium (ASX:LIT) subsidiary Envirostream Australia has been granted AU$850,000 under Western Australia’s electronic waste infrastructure grant funding program.

Previously known as Lithium Australia, Livium is Australia's “first onshore company” for lithium and mixed battery recycling.

Since its inception in 2017, the company has been developing safe and innovative management solutions to address lithium-ion battery recycling, one of Australia’s biggest problems concerning waste.

“This grant from the WA government represents a meaningful step forward in our mission to establish a sustainable national battery recycling ecosystem,” Livium CEO and Managing Director Simon Linge commented in the release.

Keep reading...Show less
Lithium Universe

Successful Completion of Tranche 1 Share Placement

Lithium Universe Limited (referred to as "Lithium Universe" or the "Company," ASX: "LU7”) is pleased to announce that further to its announcement dated 31 October 2024 (ASX:LU7 LU7 Completes Share Placement and Launches Entitlement Offer) (Announcement), it has now settled the first tranche of its share placement to sophisticated and professional investors (Tranche 1).

Keep reading...Show less
Red Tesla electric vehicle with lithium-ion battery icon in corner.

Where Does Tesla Get its Lithium? (Updated 2024)

As the energy transition continues to unfold, US electric vehicle (EV) pioneer Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has been making moves to secure supply of the raw materials it needs to meet its production targets.

Lithium in particular has been top of mind for CEO Elon Musk. Back in 2020, the battery metal had a spotlight moment at Tesla’s Battery Day, when Musk shared that the company had bought tenements in the US state of Nevada, and was looking for a new way to produce lithium from clay — a process yet to be proven at commercial scale.

Lithium prices went on to hit all-time highs, but swiftly declined last year and continuing on a downward trend in 2024. Prices for other key battery metals have also decreased as EV sales growth has fallen across most global markets in the face of economic uncertainty and higher interest rates. According to Goldman Sachs research, EV battery costs are at record lows and are forecasted to fall by 40 percent between 2023 and 2025.

Keep reading...Show less

Latest Press Releases

Related News

×